Solderless wire terminal



Sept. 26, 1950 s. M. WEISBERG SOLDERLESS WIRE TERMINAL Original Filed Dec. 13, 1945 FIG. l.

FIG. .2.

FIG. 3.

IN VEN TOR.

G R E Y SE m O n Y..A E N D S Patented Sept. 26, 1950 SOLDERLESS WIRE TERMINAL Sidney M. Weisberg, Newark, N. J., assignor to Allied Electric Products, ,Inc., Irvington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Original application December 13, 1945, Serial No.

634,704. Divided and this application November 17, 1948, Serial No. 60,557

1 Claim. 1

The invention herein disclosed relates to solderless wire terminals of the type covered in 00- pending patent application Serial No. 634,704, filed December 13, 1945, now Patent 2,456,601, dated December 14, 1948, wherein one or more wires are mechanically secured and electrically connected with a tubular wire terminal by forceably driving a pin into the tubular terminal over the wire or wires previously entered in the passage in the terminal.

The present invention is a division of that subject matter and is directed to a form of wire terminal particularly suited for use in starter switches for fluorescent lamps.

Special objects of the present invention are to provide a terminal structure in which a wire or' wires may be readily secured and which will present a finished contact face free of wire ends or fastening elements and thus adapted the better to cooperate with the contacts of socket or other fixture with which the terminal may be designed to cooperate.

Further special objects are to provide a solderless terminal structure in which both the wire ends and the fastening element will be fully concealed, covered and protected.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts through which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth or will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention. The structure may be modified and changed, however, within the intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a starter switch having the invention incorporated in the contact terminals of the same;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional detail of one of the terminals;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view as on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The starter switch shown in Fig. l is of typical design and having a base portion 5 carrying contact terminals 6 for cooperation with the contacts of a starter switch socket and connected at the back of the base with the elements of the switch such as the glow switch 1 and condenser 8.

The switch terminals, of which only one appears in Fig. l, are of tubular formation, as shown in Fig. 2, having a central passage or socket 9 for reception of the wire or wires such as wire II] from the glow switch and wire H from the condenser.

These inserted portions of the wires are rigidly and permanently secured in the bore of the terminal, substantially the full length of such bore, by a driven fastening shown as a cylindrical headless pin l2.

The cross sectional view, Fig. 3, shows that the wires and the pin are each of considerably less diameter than the socket in the terminal so as to be readily insertable in such passage, and this view also shows how in forceably driving the pin in over the wires the parts will be squeezed and somewhat flattened and deformed into a firmly interlocked mass. This view also illustrates the fact that in securing two wires in place the parts will naturally take up a three-point bearing relation with the two wires and the pin each making an elongated mechanical engagement with the surrounding wall of the passage and effecting both positive mechanical as well as electrical connection between the wires and terminal.

If the pin is of metal it will serve further as an electrical connecting medium between the two wires and between these wires and the terminal. For some purposes it is contemplated that the pin may be of a non-conducting material, in which event the electrical engagement would be entirely between the two wires and the surrounding wall of the terminal passage.

The switch terminal shown has an enlarged head portion l3 for cooperation with a starter switch socket contact and a special feature of this enlarged head portion is that it is solid and closed at I4 across the end of the passage 9 so as to provide a smooth, unbroken, flush contact face free of wire ends or fastening element that might modify the engagement of this terminal with the companion socket contact.

Additionally, the closed end 14 limits the extent of insertion of the wires and the driving of the fastening pin into the terminal, facilitating work of the operator assembling the devices.

Also, this new structure avoids any loose Wire ends or need for cutting or breaking off the ends of the wires after securing them in place.

When the combined mechanical and electrical fastening is completed the wires and the fastening pin are sealed from the outside and closed and protected against entry of dust, moisture or the like.

If a headless pin form of fastening is employed, these may be cut from wire stock, preferably with the ends somewhat pointed, as indicated at l5, to automatically wedge themselves in position to engage and positively secure the wires in place.

The construction is particularly simple and inexpensive and provides a safe, reliable terminal connection free of the many disadvantages of soldered connections. Driving the pin in through the open end of the passage over the entered wire has the further advantage of dragging the Wire along with it further and into more firmly held engagement in the passage.

What is claimed is:

A solderless wire connector comprisin a terminal member having a wire receiving passage, two Wires of less diameter than said passage disposed in said passage in engagement with the wall of the passage and a driven securin pin of less diameter than the passage in driven engagement with both said wires and with the wall of the passage at a point in substantially triangular relation to the points of engagement of the Wires with the wall of the passage and thereby 20 1,709,393

effecting substantially balanced, three-point securing engagement of said wires and securing pin in said passage, said terminal member being closed over one end of said passage to form a contact face for cooperation with other electrical apparatus, the other end of the passage being open to receive the wires and securing pin and said pin being driven in through said open end of the passage toward said closed contact face forming end.

SIDNEY M. WEISBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Siegfried June 11, 1907 Fitch Apr. 16, 1929 Number 

